Watchdog who exposed lavish Vegas conference retires

The watchdog who blew the whistle on a lavish taxpayer-funded conference in Las Vegas, setting off a chain of events that saw agencies across government keep a closer eye on travel and conference spending, is retiring.

Under Mr. Miller, the GSA IG’s office issued a sharply-worded report on a lavish 2010 conference by agency officials in Las Vegas, which included clowns, mind readers and a red-carpet party.

The findings sparked outrage on Capitol Hill and at the White House, forcing the ouster of several top officials, including the GSA’s top administrator.

The report also sparked closer examination of other wasteful government conferences inside GSA, as well as at agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Veterans Affairs.

“It has been an honor to work for this nation and I am proud of the hard work my staff has put into protecting taxpayer dollars from fraud,” Mr. Miller said in a statement.

A former federal prosecutor in Virginia, Mr. Miller was nominated to the IG’s job in 2004 and confirmed a year later. In a statement, the IG’s office noted other notable investigations over the years, including efforts to recovery lost and stolen New Deal artwork and criminal cases involving bribery, fraud and other corruption.